... beauty of the unknown, together with a kaleidoscope of real life stories and other bits and pieces that will encourage you to follow your intuition, to look with your heart, to listen to your body, to dream and to cherish every moment of your life.
It is never too late or too early to enrich your life with more joy, laughter and better health!

Welcome to the world of corners ... On the 5th day of every month you will come across a new corner and a new story around ...To make this journey a bit more challenging an extra corner will be occasionally thrown in as a surprise.Any footprints from your travelling experience left in the comment box will be always appreciated.If you find my corners enjoyable, please share them with your friends.

Sunday, 14 April 2013

(Part 2) "Lake Titicaca, me and the power of Natural Therapies."

PART
2 ...

Another
three weeks went by without any success with obtaining a refund or
any clue about the purpose of my trip. And then, one afternoon about
seven weeks before my departure, a message shot like an arrow through
my mind: “You are going back to Amantani Island to offer your
healing services for the community.”

“Thank
you!” I replied as I felt my “Virgo rising” letting out a big
sigh of relief and my “Piscean sun” looking forward to the
magical energy of Lake Titicaca.

18
December 2005 – Lima to Puno

Only
a few hours after arriving in Lima at 11pm, I was back at the same
airport catching my 6am flight to Juliaca near Puno. With quite a few
plane trips in recent years I have become proficient in saying “Hand
check, no X-ray please” when handing over the homeopathic items for
my personal use. I also noticed the security staff were getting more
familiar with this kind of medicine, making the whole process so much
easier. I guess this is one way of introducing natural therapies to
the world.

On
this particular morning I had an older man with a happy face checking
my “treasure box” and while looking at the collection of
remedies, he asked: “Do they really work?” to which I joyously
replied: “Yes, and with no side effects.” He seemed content, as
if my answer reinforced his own opinion. Furthermore, after
questioning the purpose of my trip, he was pleased to hear my answer,
acknowledging that the people on the islands were often the last in
line to receive any help. His comment gave me a warm reassurance that
I was heading in the right direction.

21
December 2005 – Puno to Amantani Island – Lake Titicaca

I
was all ready and full of anticipation for my two week stay on this
“very special to me” island. A travel representative called to
confirm my early morning pickup. He also informed me that Benedicto’s
home where I had organised to stay was situated on the other side of
the island from where the boat would arrive. And so, my first night
on Amantani would be with a different family. I wasn’t too happy
about it as I wanted to set myself up as soon as I could, but in
South America hiccups are not uncommon. At times, “going with the
flow” is the best option to avoid making things more difficult.

I
was one of the first to be picked up and once on the boat, I was
greeted by yet another hiccup. Expecting a direct trip by the public
boat, I was surprised to be part of the overnight tour to the
islands, identical to the one that I had done only a year ago. I
wondered if it was my safety or extra income that had influenced
their decision. However, on the more positive side, there is a
usually a reason behind most hiccups, in this case to be revealed
sooner than I thought.

The
group on the boat was made up of smaller groups of two to four
travellers from different countries. Our local guide Bruno as well as
other people on the boat were a bit curious about the reason for my
extended stay, as Amantani is not exactly a Greek island.
Nevertheless it has its own charm, despite an altitude of about 4000
metres, lack of electricity and running water, a rainy season with
overnight temperatures at the time of below 10ºC and daytime
temperatures in the sun of 54ºC as well as other minor
“highlights”. Bruno was very interested in my work and in natural
therapies. He was eager to find out as much as possible, so I tried
my best to answer his many questions.

Upon
arrival on Amantani by the floating islands, I discovered I was to
share a bedroom with two French girls. Shortly after entering the
premises of our host family, we were invited to the kitchen for
lunch. This was still being prepared in clay pots over traditional
wood fire clay stove by the mother and daughter. It wasn’t long
before the increasing level of smoke looking for a non-existent
chimney filled our eyes. Our “French” resistance was short-lived
and with tears running down our cheeks, we gave ourselves permission
to wait outside.

After
lunch, together with Bruno, we made our way up to the Pachatata
Temple where we would await the sunset over Lake Titicaca. The island
has two temples: a round-shaped Pachamama to celebrate the female
energy of Mother Earth located on the highest point of the island and
a square-shaped Pachatata to celebrate her male energy on the second
highest point. You can make a wish and have it granted by walking
three times in an anti-clockwise direction around either of the
temples. Having done this on my first trip, I was pleasantly
surprised to see my wish come true. Be careful what you wish for as
these requests do get granted, except perhaps when you wish for a pot
of gold at the end of the rainbow.

As
the sun disappeared, the temperature dropped rather quickly, so a
warm dinner upon our return was very much appreciated. And to warm us
up even more, a traditional dance party was awaiting us at the local
community hall. Dressed in their traditional clothing, we had a lot
of fun following our local dance partners to the sounds of the Andean
band. As the party came to an end, we felt hot, tired and definitely
ready for bed. The sky was full of stars that night and it seemed to
me like there were more stars than the sky itself.

As
my roommates went to sleep, I stayed back with Bruno in the courtyard
as he offered to write a short note in Spanish for me explaining the
purpose of my stay and anything else I thought the people might want
to know. The island’s native language is Quechua, but the majority
of people speak Spanish. I could speak neither!

With
an introductory letter in my hand, I quietly entered the room so as
not to awaken the girls. By now I was looking forward to a
well-deserved sleep as it had been a long journey for my body. Less
than an hour later, I was woken up by the sound of the metal gate
being opened and a conversation between two men. Wondering what was
going on, I was startled by a knock on the door and my name being
called.